The present invention relates to a removable device for securing a tie to the front of a shirt, and retaining the tie in a substantially,centered, straight-down position.
Many men wear neckties which, as a result of wind or movement of the wearer, tend to separate, flip over the man's shoulder, or twist. Such unrestrained movement is annoying and unattractive. Additionally, unrestrained neckties are more likely to be damaged. As the wearer bends forward, such as to reach across a table, the necktie may fall into food or liquids.
One embodiment of the present invention provides a tie retaining device which includes a retainer clip and a fastener part. The fastener part forms an elongated ring with a front side and back side. The front side supports a pair of opposed, laterally projecting barbs. The back side includes an eyelet. The barbs are inserted into the rear flaps of the main tie body and the tie tail is threaded through the narrow opening in the elongated ring. The retainer clip includes a flat rear part with a slot for sliding onto one of the shirt buttons, thereby securing the retainer clip to the shirt. The retainer clip also includes an upturned prong for removably coupling with the fastener part eyelet. Once the retainer clip is attached to the button, the eyelet of the fastener part is threaded onto the retainer clip prong, thereby retaining the tie adjacent the shirt in a centered, straight-down position.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, a retainer chain is substituted for the retainer clip. The chain has a clasp on one end for removably coupling to the fastener part eyelet and a rod on the other end for insertion into a button hole. Unlike the retainer clip, the retainer chain permits some movement of the tie.
Other features of the present invention will be apparent upon consideration of the following description of exemplary embodiments and the accompanying drawings.